The Dancer
by thirteen2d
Summary: A young girl, believed to be a princess, suffers her fate after temptation consumes her.


The Dancer

Around the age of eleven, the dancer was wandering through the woods by herself. She was being guided by a compass that belonged to her father. She came across Pan's Labyrinth and walked through the path coming up to a small area that had a small cement circle in the centre. She went home and returned with a music box the next day. She danced in the area until the music stopped. She could hear it play again but from somewhere else. She began to follow the music until she reached a set of stairs. She climbed down the stairs as the music stopped finding the music box by an old statue. She then met the Faun. He explained to her how he believed that she was to be a princess. He wound the music box and told her about the different tasks she would have to face in order to prove that she was indeed of royal blood. He handed her a key and told her that she would have to face her first task of courage and obedience. She grabbed the key as the Faun drew a door on the wall. He explained that she had a limited amount of time before the door closes. He opened it and turned the sand. She jumped into the lair of the Pale Man as the Faun's fairies followed. She ran through the hallway and came into the dining room. She sees the Pale Man and tries to talk to him. When there is no response, she slowly walks up to him and waves her hand in front of his face. When there was no movement she saw the fairies over by the locked cabinets. She opened the middle one as the fairies had told her and found an old music box. As she was walking out she saw some strawberries. After being warned not to take any food she realized she was hungry. The fairies tried pulling her away from the table but she didn't listen. She stood in front of the plate of strawberries as the fairies continued to pull her away. However, she gave into the temptation and swats the fairies away. She grabbed a strawberry and ate it. She then grabbed a grape and more food off of the table. The Pale Man awakens but has no eyes. He uses his sense of smell and hearing to guide him towards the Dancer. The fairies finally are able to gain the Dancer's attention as they pull her hair. She turns around and sees the Pale Man approaching her. She doesn't move due to fear and drops some berries in the process. She looks up and sees all of the paintings of the Pale Man consuming children. She then turns around to run and slips on the berries she has dropped causing the music box to slide across the room. She crawls quickly towards it and grabs it just as the Pale Man is grabbing her ankles. He begins to claw at her face with his long fingernails. Eventually he claws her eyes out just as she is able to pull away. Blind, the Dancer then tries to escape before the door closes. The Pale Man then manages to place her eyes into his hands and use them to see. He chases after her as she is running into walls and stumbling. She finds the door and runs through as it closes. Finding a corner she begins to cry blood as she hears the Pale Man banging on the door. It is then realized that she is able to see only what he sees. The Faun then appears and is disappointed at her disloyalty but is saddened by what has happened to her. He helps her up and holds onto her.

The Dancer never returned home after what had happened. The Faun had vowed that he would be her eyes. After what had happened, the Faun guided her to the open area where she first arrived at. He placed a bandage over her eyes. She played her own music box and began to dance trying to get the Faun to dance with her. The two danced for a while before he let her go. He told her that she would always be a princess in his eyes, but she is not meant to sit on the throne. He explained to her that she did fail him, but he will make sure he will do what is best for her. He grabbed the music box that was in the Pale Man's room and handed it to the Dancer. He told her that soon he would leave for a little bit but he wouldn't say when. He said that he would be back making a promise to her. He wound the box up as she placed it onto the floor. The box began to play Pan's Lullaby. He told her to keep winding the box before the music has ended so that she could dance forever. The Faun walked away as the Dancer began to dance to the music. She did not notice that he was gone and continued to dance. It was until that she started looking for him to dance with her that she realized that he was gone. She wound the box before the music ended and continued to dance and wait for him. Little did she know, the Faun would not return until the true princess has returned to the throne. She spent year dancing to the music waiting for the Faun to return. Depression began to sink in as she began to turn into a young woman. Her heart was broken and was turned to stone. One day the box was nearing the end of the lullaby and she did not wind it up again. Instead she continued to dance until it had stopped. Once there was silence, the Dancer stopped dead in her tracks in the final dance movement she was doing. She turned to stone as a statue at the center of the small cement circle. A little inscription appeared in front of her reading, "Cegado por la tentación", "Blinded by temptation" with the music box sitting in front of her.

The Dancer stands in the labyrinth for years as her skin being to look like stone. Standing there, she still sees what the Pale Man sees. Her stone heart causes her to grow into madness and turn spiteful against the Faun for breaking his promise. When Ofelia appears into the Pale Man's room the Dancer shares what the Pale Man sees as he is chasing her down the hallway. She sees that Ofelia has a dagger and knew that she was sent by the Faun. It was realized that Ofelia was in fact the true princess. However, due to being made out of stone she is unable to do anything. Still waiting for the Faun to return and play the music again, she stands there as a statue forever blinded by her temptation of the fruit.


End file.
